'I don't like my body'

Charlie Dimmock, who shot to fame on the BBC gardening programme Ground Force, reveals why she has never been happy with her size 14 body

'How I became labelled as a sex symbol is something I've never understood. I certainly don't feel like one, and I never did.

'It was one of those things somebody wrote in one of the papers and everyone picked up on, but I don't believe normal people think of me as sexy. I'm far too old.

'Too much fuss has also been made about me not wearing a bra. Despite what people think, I do own bras and have worn them on Ground Force.

'If you're swinging your arms around, a bra tends to ride up, which isn't very comfortable. I'd rather be comfy than vain.

'You can't be vain when you do a programme like Ground Force, anyway. You start out on a day's filming trying to look tidy and nice, but within half an hour any hint of glamour is out the window.

'I turn up with a bit of lipstick on and a hint of eyeshadow, but once I start working I get dirty and sweaty. I forget that the cameras are there when I'm getting on with the gardening, but if there's time before the end I'll use a wet wipe to clean off the dirt and put a bit of lip gloss on. I like to look presentable at the end of the programme.

'There are strict rules about what you can and cannot wear on Ground Force. You can't wear black and white, or checks, or things with stripes, because they make the cameras strobe. They also tell us not to wear the same colours, but invariably we all turn up in blue or red and have to get changed.

'I don't feel too bad about myself in the morning'

'When I look in the mirror first thing in the morning I don't usually feel too bad about myself. Sometimes my eyes look puffy if I haven't had a good night's sleep or I've slept too heavily, but so long as it's sunny outside I'm usually cheerful.

'My morning routine depends on the day's schedule. If I'm staying at home that day I'll clean my teeth, have a cup of tea, listen to Radio 4 and loll around in my dressing-gown sorting out all the paperwork I've accumulated.

'If I washed my hair every day I'd look terrible because it gets so frizzy, it takes two days to calm down. I was never a pretty child, but because I was a redhead people would say: 'Oh, hasn't she got lovely hair!'

'A pasty, chubby, tomboy'

'As a teenager I didn't feel very attractive at all. I was quite pasty and chubby and a tomboy until the age of 15. I'd be climbing trees, riding bikes and getting muddy and dirty _ nothing much has changed.

'When it comes to my body, there's nothing about it I really like. My arms are passable, I suppose, but they're not wonderful. My legs are too chunky with big muscles. I guess my eyes are my best facial feature.

'The colour of them seems to change depending on what colour I'm wearing. People say to me: 'You've got great green eyes.' Then, on another day, someone will say: 'You've got fabulous blue eyes' or 'Haven't you got unusual grey-blue eyes?'

'The feature I like the least is my nose because of the bump on it, but I wouldn't have surgery on it. It's too late. The skin probably wouldn't go back together properly. Plus it could go wrong and it might turn out even worse than it is now.

'Wrinkles are character-building'

'I do worry about ageing, but only in the sense that I worry about not being able to physically move around. I don't think I'd ever have a facelift.

'Wrinkles are character-building. I prefer to look right for my age rather than having no wrinkles. I did a photo shoot recently and the photographer said: 'Fantastic! You're all wrinkly and your face moves when you speak.' I took that as a compliment.

'The furthest I'd ever go is having a fake tan done, which just makes you look healthier.

'I don't eat what I want, otherwise I'd be really huge. I try not to eat too much cheese but it's probably my biggest downfall because I enjoy it so much.

'When I was younger I tried the F-Plan diet but it was hard to stick at. I do try to eat healthily, but it's hard when you're staying in hotels and eating out a lot. All the meals tend to be quite rich in sauces which are often cream-based.

'When I get home I crave things like sausage and mash or shepherd's pie _ simple, home-cooked stuff. I also drink tea continuously _ I know I shouldn't, but I love the stuff.

'I've got hips and a bottom'

'I'm most comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt. When I did a programme about Latin American formation dancing, the teacher said: 'I can tell you don't wear skirts because you move as if you're always wearing trousers.' I did wear a skirt for the programme, but I haven't worn one since.

'My fashion style is pretty low-key. My mum was always flamboyant, stylish and up-to-date, and she still is. I don't think I've inherited any of her dress sense. I've got hips and a bottom, so anything that goes straight up and down doesn't suit me.

'I hate shopping. I can't be bothered trawling up and down the High Street going into different shops. I don't have an exercise regime as such but I'll have a spate of going to the gym. I'll try the treadmill, the rowing machine or the stepper, but I don't really like any of them. Sometimes I'll go for a run or a bike ride, and then I'll have a bout of not doing anything at all.

'In summer my life is fairly active because I'm outdoors doing gardening. It's more endurance fitness than cardiovascular exercise because you plod along for the whole day. If someone said to me 'Go run a mile' I'd get puffed out pretty quickly.

'I did do the London Marathon in 2002. It took me more than four hours, but at least I finished it. And I'm doing the Great North Run in Newcastle in September to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis.

'Today I feel I'm 37 going on about 75. We're in the middle of filming another series of Ground Force and I'm tired, plus I've been in training for The Games.

'The training is not so much about keeping fit, it's more technical _ like how to get over hurdles or how to throw a hammer. I thought you just picked it up, swung it around your head a couple of times then let go, but there's more to it than that. Perhaps I've finally found the perfect use for these legs of mine.'